Annotated Old Testament Bibliography - 2000

Nov 30, 1999

Series: Volume 3 - 2000

M. Daniel Carroll R. and Richard S. Hess

For the most part, this list considers English language studies and exegetical commentaries that have appeared within the last two decades. However, there is much of value that predates this period. For one of the most useful and wide ranging bibliographies of earlier works, see:

Our hope is that the following list will continue to prove useful by regular updating. An older form of this annotated bibliography can be found in R. S. Hess and G. J. Wenham, eds., Make the Old Testament Live: From Curriculum to Classroom. Eerdmans, 1998, pp. 191-218. The volume itself is a unique collection of essays on teaching the Old Testament from a variety of perspectives. A special note of appreciation is due to Robert Hubbard and the late Robert Alden, whose earlier bibliography formed the basis for what follows.

Introductions

*Baker, David W. and Bill T. Arnold eds., The Face of Old Testament Studies: A Survey of Contemporary Approaches. Baker, 1999. The most important work surveying the academic field of Old Testament studies, written and edited by Evangelicals.

Childs, B.S. Introduction to the Old Testament as Scripture. Fortress, 1979. A canonical approach to the text and books.

Dillard, Raymond and Tremper Longman III. An Introduction to the Old Testament. Zondervan, 1994. A helpful up-to-date Evangelical contribution. Longman finished the project after the death of Dillard.

Sources for Biblical and Theological Study. Eisenbrauns. Collections of the most important articles in the particular field, whether specific biblical texts (e.g., R. Hess and D. Tsumura on Genesis 1-11) or on methods (e.g., C. E. Carter and C. L. Meyers on social sciences approaches).

Theology

*Barr, James. The Concept of Biblical Theology: An Old Testament Perspective. SCM, 1999. The most important survey of Old Testament theologies at the end of the twentieth century, if not always one that everyone will agree with.

Brueggemann, Walter. Theology of the Old Testament: Testimony, Dispute, Advocacy. Fortress, 1997. A provocative approach that structures the discussion around the metaphor and imagery of the courtroom.

Childs, Brevard S. Old Testament Theology in a Canonical Context. Fortress, 1986. Classic on canon with a sensitivity to the New Testament.

Special Studies:

Hess, R. S., and G. Wenham, eds. Zion, City of Our God. Eerdmans, 1999. History, religion, and theology of Jerusalem as revealed in the variety of Old Testament literature.

*Satterthwaite, Philip E., Richard S. Hess, and Gordon J. Wenham, eds. The Lord's Anointed: Interpretation of Old Testament Messianic Texts. Baker and Paternoster, 1995. A current assessment of the exegesis of key Old Testament texts. order this book

Histories of Israel

Ahlström, Gösta W. The History of Ancient Palestine from the Palaeolithic Period to Alexander's Conquest. With a contribution by G. O. Rollefson. Edited by D. Edelman. JSOT Supplement Series 146. Sheffield Academic Press, 1993. The most up-to-date of the major histories of ancient Israel though affected by the author's unconventional opinions and perspectives.

Bright, J. A History of Israel. 3rd ed. Westminster, 1981. Standard of the last generation, heir of the Albright school.

Hayes, J.H. and J. Maxwell Miller. A History of Ancient Israel and Judah. Westminster/John Knox, 1986. The critical alternative to Albright.

Merrill, Eugene. Kingdom of Priests: A History of Old Testament Israel. Baker, 1987. Evangelical and conservative.

*Shanks, Hershel, ed. Ancient Israel. From Abraham to the Roman Destruction of the Temple. Revised edition. Biblical Archaeology Society, 1999. Popular writing with each chapter written by one or two experts in the field.

Soggin, J. Alberto, A History of Ancient Israel: From Beginnings to the Bar Kochba Revolt, A.D. 135. Westminster, 1985. This is a classic liberal interpretation of Israel's history that, though now out of date, represents an important synthesis of Continental scholarship.

Special Studies in History:

*Long, V. Philips. The Art of Biblical History. Foundations of Contemporary Interpretation vol. 5. Zondervan, 1994. The balance of historicity, literary art, and theology in the history writing of the Old Testament.

Long, V. Philips. Israel's Past in Present Research: Essays on Ancient Israelite Historiography. SBTS 7. Eisenbrauns, 1999. A variety of experts contribute essays on the writing and interpretation of historical data relating to the major Old Testament periods and genres.

Millard, Alan R., James K. Hoffmeier, and David W. Baker, eds. Faith, Tradition, and History: Old Testament Historiography in Its Near Eastern Context. Eisenbrauns, 1994. Important articles on the methods and interpretation of various Old Testament passages in the light of ancient Near Eastern comparisons.

Thiele, E. R. A Chronology of the Hebrew Kings. Zondervan, 1977. Remains the most convincing interpretation of the chronology of the monarchy.

Archaeology

Aharoni, Y. The Archaeology of the Land of Israel. Trans. A.F. Rainey. Westminster, 1982. A classic work.

Stern, Ephraim (ed). The New Encyclopedia of Archaeological Excavations in the Holy Land. Simon and Schuster, 1995. Essential reference guide for sites.

Hoerth, Alfred Archaeology and the Old Testament. Baker, 1998. An important evangelical guide to the subject.

*Levy, Thomas E. (ed.). The Archaeology of Society in the Holy Land. Facts on File, 1995. Although it covers a larger period than that of the Biblical time, it is the first systematic presentation of social archaeology in Israel as written by leading archaeologists. order this book

Mazar, Amihai. Archaeology of the Land of the Bible: 10,000-586 B.C.E. Doubleday, 1992. A more recent work by an experienced Israeli archaeologist.

Meyers, Eric M. (ed.). The Oxford Encyclopedia of Archaeology in the Near East. Five vols. Oxford University, 1997.

Special Studies - in a rapidly changing field the following studies and periodicals can be useful guides.

Brooke, George J., Adrian H. W. Curtis, and John F. Healey, eds. Ugarit and the Bible. Proceedings of the International Symposium on Ugarit and the Bible. Manchester, September 1992. Ugaritisch-Biblische Literatur 11. Ugarit-Verlag, 1994. Continues to be the most useful collection of essays on this key subject.

Pritchard, J.B., ed. Harper's Atlas of the Bible. Harper and Row, 1987. Best on indices and gazetteer in relation to the maps.

Rasmussen, C.G. Zondervan NIV Atlas of the Bible. Zondervan, 1989. Stronger on photos and maps of Israel itself than of neighboring lands.

Rogerson, J. The Atlas of the Bible. Facts on File, 1985. Visually dazzling color photographs as well as discussion of geography and archaeology.

Special Studies - useful teaching tools

Abingdon Bible Map Transparencies. Abingdon. This is a wonderful set of full color maps for both Old and New Testament events and places. One of the best for overhead projection.

Smith, George Adam. The Historical Geography of the Holy Land. 25th edition. Hodder & Stoughton, 1936; Harper & Row, 1966. This is an 1894 classic with vivid word pictures of the Holy Land.

Survey of Israel Maps. Survey of Israel, continuously updated. Hebrew and English. This is a set of scale 1:100000 maps that cover the entire area occupied by modern Israel. Includes all significant political and topographic features with many sites of antiquity noted.

Translations of Collected Ancient Near Eastern Texts

*Hallo, William W. and K. Lawson Younger, Jr. (eds.). The Context of Scripture. Volume 1. Canonical Compositions from the Biblical World. Brill, 1997. The first of a projected three volume series. This is the new Ancient Near Eastern Texts. order this book

Pritchard, J.B. (ed.). Ancient Near Eastern Texts Relating to the Old Testament. 3rd. ed. Princeton University Press, 1969. Two volumes of a paperback epitome of this larger volume have also appeared.

Wyatt, N. Religious Texts from Ugarit: The Words of Ilimilku and His Colleagues. Sheffield, 1998. Contemporary translation of religious texts that provide the essential background for understanding "Canaanite" religion.

Ancient Near Eastern Histories

Gurney, O. R. The Hittites. Revised edition. Penguin, 1990. A classic of a culture with important relevance to the Bible.

Hallo, W.W., and W.K. Simpson. The Ancient Near East: A History. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1971. One of the most widely used brief histories.

Hoerth, Alfred, Gerald Mattingly, and Edwin Yamauchi (eds.). Peoples of the Old Testament World. Baker, 1994. Updating of Wiseman's Peoples of Old Testament Times by U.S. Evangelicals.

*Kemp, Barry J. Ancient Egypt: Anatomy of a Civilization. 2nd edition. Routledge, 1991. A social study of Egyptian life and culture. order this book

Oppenheim, A. Leon. Ancient Mesopotamia. University of Chicago, 1977.

Von Soden, Wolfram. The Ancient Orient: An Introduction to the Study of the Ancient Near East. Translated by D.G. Schley. Eerdmans, 1993. Traditional approach to ancient Near Eastern history.

Hebrew Lexicons

Brown, F., S.R. Driver, and C.A. Briggs. Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament. Hendrickson, 1979. The best of the older lexicons.

Clines, David J. A. (ed.). The Dictionary of Classical Hebrew. 8 vols. Sheffield Academic Press, 1993-. Four volumes have appeared. Designed for a contextual and usage approach to understanding the meaning of words.

VanGemeren, Willem A. (ed.). New International Dictionary of Old Testament Theology and Exegesis. 5 vols. Zondervan, 1997. The most recent and complete Evangelical contribution.

Concordances

*Accordance 4.2 on CD-ROM. Gramcord, 2000. The most comprehensive computer concordance for Masoretic Text, Septuagint, and English versions. Available for PC and Macintosh computers. visit the Gramcord site

*Even-Shoshan, E. A New Concordance of the Old Testament Using the Hebrew and Aramaic Text. 2nd edition. Baker, 1989. The best concordance for the Hebrew text of the Old Testament. order this book

Waltke, B.K., and M. O’Connor. An Introduction to Biblical Hebrew Syntax. Eisenbrauns, 1990. An integration of modern linguistic approaches. order this book

Old Testament Canon/Textual Criticism

Beckwith, R., The Old Testament Canon of the New Testament Church. Eerdmans, 1985. An affirmation of the Old Testament canon.

Brotzman, E. Old Testament Textual Textual Criticism: A Practical Introduction. Baker, 1994. Good Evangelical introduction for the beginner. Special guides for using Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia.

Tov, Emmanuel. The Text-Critical Use of the Septuagint in Biblical Research. Revised edition. Jerusalem Biblical Studies volume 8. Simor, 1997. The most important introduction to the study of the Septuagint for biblical scholars.

*Tov, Emmanuel. Textual Criticism of the Hebrew Bible. Fortress, 1992. The best introduction to the subject. order this book

Würthwein, Ernst. The Text of the Old Testament. 2nd edition. Eerdmans, 1995. Classic discussion of the Hebrew texts and the versions.

Sociological and Anthropological Studies

Carter, Charles E. and Carol L. Meyers, eds. Community, Identity, and Ideology: Social Science Approaches to the Hebrew Bible. SBTS vol. 6. Eisenbrauns, 1996. A collection of important essays dealing with method and case studies from ancient Israel’s society and history.

Chalcraft, David J., ed. Social-Scientific Old Testament Criticism: A Sheffield Reader. Sheffield, 1997. A colllection of studies on the subject that have been published in the Journal for the Study of the Old Testament.

*Clements, Ronald E. ed. The World of Ancient Israel: Sociological, Anthropological and Political Perspectives. Cambridge, 1989. A key introduction to these categories by a collection of mainly British writers. order this book

Matthews, Victor H. and Don C. Benjamin. Social World of Ancient Israel 1250-587 BCE. Hendrickson, 1993. Application of anthropology to social roles and institutions within ancient Israel. Can be a bit fanciful at times.

*Overholt, Thomas W. Cultural Anthropology and the Old Testament. Guides to Biblical Scholarship. Fortress, 1996. An excellent introduction to the use of anthropology in the study of the prophets. Good bibliography. order this book

Rogerson, John W. Anthropolgy and the Old Testament. The Biblical Seminar. JSOT Press, 1984. Documents the misapplication of anthropology in Old Testament studies.

Feminist, Minority, and Third World Studies

*Bird, Phyllis A. Missing Persons and Mistaken Identities: Women and Gender in Ancient Israel. OBT. Fortress, 1997. A collection of significant essays written over the last twenty years by an important Old Testament feminist scholar. order this book

Boff, Clodovis and George V. Pixley. The Bible, the Church, and the Poor. Orbis, 1989. Presents a biblical basis from a liberationist commitment for a theology of the poor and pastoral work among the disdvantaged.

Brenner, Athalya, and Carole Fontaine, eds. A Feminist Companion to Reading the Bible: Approaches, Methods and Strategies. Sheffield, 1997. A wide variety of essays by women and men on methods for reading, examples of interpretation, and interaction with a wide variety of religious and cultural influences on the formation and religious use of the Hebrew Bible.

Croatto, J. Severino. Exodus: A Hermeneutics of Freedom. Orbis, 1981. Utilizes modern philosophical hermeneutical theory for contextualizing the Exodus and the prophets to modern Latin America.

Felder, Cain Hope. Troubling Biblical Waters: Race, Class, and Family. Orbis, 1989. Designed to surface the existence of Blacks in the Bible and to explore how to find the significance of the Bible for contemporary social issues.

Felder, Cain Hope (ed). Stony the Road We Trod: African American Biblical Interpretation. Fortress, 1991. Essays that try to bring an African American perspective to the analysis and application of the Bible.

Levison, John R., and Priscilla Pope-Levison, eds. Return to Babel: Global Perspectives on the Bible. Westminster John Knox, 1999. Fifteen contributors from Africa, Asia, and Latin America examine five passages from the Old Testament and five from the New from a liberation perspective.

Newsom, Carol A. and Sharon H. Ringe (eds). The Women’s Bible Commentary. SPCK; Westminster/John Knox, 1992. A one volume feminist commentary on the entire Bible. Each entry has a bibliography for further reading.

Pixley, Jorge. Biblical Israel: A People’s History. Fortress, 1992. The application of a sociological approach in order to present the history of Israel as one of peasants’ struggles against oppressors.

*Sugirtharajah, R. S. (ed). Voices from the Margin: Interpreting the Bible in the Third World. Second edition. Orbis/SPCK, 1995. A collection of essays from around the world that interpret particular biblical texts from a liberationist and pluralist perspective. order this book

Trible, Phyllis. Texts of Terror: Literary-Feminist Readings of Biblical Narratives. OBT. Fortress, 1984. A classical work, which combines literary and feminist criticism, to highlight the tragedy and violence in the stories of four women in the Old Testament.

Literary Approaches

*Alter, Robert. The Art of Biblical Narrative. Basic Books, 1981. Still one of the best introductory guides for the beginner in interpreting narrative. order this book

The Art of Biblical Poetry. Basic Books, 1985. An excellent introduction to biblical poetry, especially the dynamics of parallelism.

The World of Biblical Literature. Basic Books, 1992. A useful supplement to Alter's earlier work.

Alter, Robert and Frank Kermode (eds.) The Literary Guide to the Bible. Harvard University Press, 1987. An application of the literary method to each book of the Bible.

Bar-Efrat, Shimon. Narrative Art in the Bible. Bible and Literature Series 17. Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 1989. An important contribution to techniques of literary interpretation.

Berlin, Adele. Poetics and Interpretation of Biblical Narrative. Almond, 1983. A very helpful introduction to the various elements of a literary approach.

Gunn, David M. and Danna Nolan Fewell. Narrative in the Hebrew Bible. The Oxford Bible Series. Oxford University Press, 1993. A counterpoint to Sternberg.

Polzin, Robert. Moses and the Deuteronomist: A Literary Study of the Deuteronomic History. Seabury, 1980. One of the earliest and best discussions of narrative analysis in the historical books.

Ryken, Leland and Tremper Longman III (eds.). A Complete Literary Guide to the Bible. Zondervan, 1993. An Evangelical counterpart to Alter and Kermode.

*Sternberg, Moshe. The Poetics of Biblical Narrative: Ideological Literature and the Drama of Reading. Indiana Unviersity Press, 1985. Probably the most important and thorough guide to philosophy and technique of narrative writing in the Old Testament. order this book

Israelite Religion

Albertz, Rainer. A History of Israelite Religion in the Old Testament Period. 2 vols. Old Testament Library. Westminster John Knox, 1994. This detailed study uses a classic liberal reconstruction of the history of Old Testament literature with interaction with recent discussions and discoveries.

De Moor, Johannes C. The Rise of Yahwism. The Roots of Israelite Monotheism. BETL 91. Peeters, 1990. Important evidence and arguments for Israel's worship of one God in Mosaic and later times.

*Keel, Othmar and Christoph Uelinger. Gods, Goddesses, and Images of God in Ancient Israel. Translated by Allan W. Mahnke. Fortress, 1998. The most important survey of the archaeological data, and especially the iconography, related to Israelite religion.

Mettinger, Tryggve N. D. No Graven Image? Israelite Aniconism in Its Ancient Near Eastern Context. Coniectanea Biblica Old Testament Series 42. Almqvist & Wiksell, 1995. A combination of archaeological, textual, and biblical evidence to consider the practice of Israel's worship of God without images.

Smith, Mark S. The Early History of God: Yahweh and the Other Deities in Ancient Israel. Harper & Row, 1990. A detailed synthesis of archaeological, textual, and biblical evidence for the worship of Yahweh and other deities in Old Testament times. This approach argues for a convergence of various deities to “create” Israel's God as he is known in the Bible.

*Tigay, Jeffrey H. You Shall Have No Other Gods: Israelite Religion in the Light of Hebrew Inscriptions. Harvard Semitic Studies 31. Scholars Press, 1987. A brief but thorough survey of written evidence, especially personal names, this study argues that monotheism was present during the Israelite monarchy as the official religion of the southern and perhaps northern kingdoms. order this book

van der Toorn, Karel. Family Religion in Babylonia, Syria and Israel: Continuity and Change in the Forms of Religious Life. Studies in the History and Culture of the Ancient Near East volume 7. Brill, 1996. Studies ancestor worship and Israelite monotheism from the beginnings and through the Monarchy.

*van der Toorn, Karel, Bob Becking, and Pieter W. van der Horst eds. Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the Bible. Brill, 1995. Second edition, 1998. This is an essential reference work on the subject.

Commentaries

Blenkinsopp, Joseph. The Pentateuch. An Introduction to the First Five Books of the Bible. AB. Doubleday, 1992.

Exodus

*Childs, B.S. The Book of Exodus. OTL. Westminster, 1974. The application of the canonical approach to a higher critical commentary. Includes a history of interpretation for each passage. order this book

Boling, R. Judges. AB. Doubleday, 1975. Emphasizes the traditions behind the text and places many of them in the pre-Monarchy period.

Lindars, Barnabas. Judges 1-5. T & T Clark, 1995. The beginnings of a new ICC stopped by the author's untimely death, this work surveys a breadth of modern scholarship and closely studies the text criticism of the book. order this book

Soggin, J.A. Judges. OTL. Westminster, 1981. A classic liberal exegesis by someone who controls much of European scholarship.

Ruth

Block, Daniel I. See under Judges.

Bush, Frederic. Ruth, Esther. WBC. Word, 1996. An Evangelical scholar of the Bible and Ancient Near East brings his knowledge to these two books.

Campbell, E.F., Jr. Ruth. AB. Doubleday, 1985. An important theological and archaeological discussion of the book.

Gow, Murray D. The Book of Ruth: Its Structure, Theme, and Purpose. Apollos, 1992. Evangelical application of rhetorical and literary techniques to argue for a coherent structure to Ruth.

*Hubbard, Robert L., Jr. The Book of Ruth. NICOT. Eerdmans, 1988. A balanced and thorough study with an appreciation of literary criticism from an Evangelical perspective. order this book

Nielsen, Kirsten. Ruth. OTL. Westminster John Knox, 1997. The only major English language commentary on Ruth written by a woman with a special interest in intertextuality.

Sasson, Jack M. Ruth: A New Translation with a Philological Commentary and a Formalist-Folklorist Interpretation. 2d ed. Sheffield, 1989. An ancient Near Eastern specialist examines this book.

1 & 2 Samuel

Anderson, A.A. 2 Samuel. WBC. Word, 1989. Considers the historical context as one in which David and Solomon are presented as rightful occupants of the throne in Jerusalem.

*Bergen, R. D. 1 and 2 Samuel. NAC. Broadman, 1996. Evangelical reflecting a knowledge of the Hebrew and modern linguistics. order this book

Fokkelman, J. P. Narrative Art and Poetry in the Books of Samuel: A Full Interpretation Based on Stylistic and Structural Analyses. 4 vols. Van Gorcum, 1981-1993. More than two thousand pages of careful literary analysis of the books of Samuel.

Klein, R.W. 1 Samuel. WBC. Word, 1983. A commentary concerned with the final form of the text.

*McCarter, P. Kyle, Jr., I Samuel and II Samuel. AB. Doubleday, 1980, 1984. The most important study of the Hebrew text in relation to Greek and Dead Sea Scroll witnesses. order this book

1 & 2 Kings

*Cogan, M., and H. Tadmor. II Kings. AB. Doubleday, 1988. Essential discussion of the Assyrian context of Judah during the latter period of the Monarchy and especially the time of Hezekiah. order this book

DeVries, Simon J. 1 Kings. WBC. Word, 1985. Useful Evangelical commentary written without apology for the difficulties in the book.

Fretheim, Terence E. First and Second Kings. WeBC. Westminster John Knox, 1999. A popular discussion that focuses on the literary and rhetorical direction and purpose of the texts.

Knoppers, Gary N. Two Nations under God: The Deuteronomistic History of Solomon and the Dual Monarchies. 2 vols. Scholars, 1993, 1994. A doctoral dissertation that provides a historical and critical commentary on Kings.

Long, Burke O. 1 Kings. FOTL. Eerdmans, 1984. A study of the genres and literary forms used in the book.

Long, Burke O. 2 Kings. FOTL. Eerdmans, 1991. Same as 1 Kings above.

Nelson, R. First and Second Kings. Int. John Knox, 1987.

*Provan, Iain W. 1 and 2 Kings. New International Biblical Commentary. Hendrickson, 1995. Evangelical literary reading of the text. order this book

Fox, Michael V. Character and Ideology in the Book of Esther. University of South Carolina Press, 1991. A text critical and literary study that stresses how open ended the book is with uncertainty about many aspects including the role of God.

Levenson, Jon D. Esther. OTL. Westminster John Knox, 1997. A master of biblical theology from a Jewish perspective examines the book of Esther.

Job

*Alden, Robert A. Job. NAC. Broadman, 1994. A balanced and Evangelical discussion of the Biblical text. order this book

*Mays, J. L. Psalms. Int. Westminster John Knox, 1994. This is a theological and practical commentary set within the contexts of the canon of Scripture and the history of interpretation. order this book

Tate, M. E. Psalms 51-100. WBC. Word, 1990. An Evangelical focus on review of scholarship, exegesis and word studies, and the relation of psalms to one another.

Weiser, A. Psalms. OTL. Westminster, 1962. Focus on annual festivals and the psalms' role in them.

Williams, D. M. Psalms. CC. 2 vols. Word, 1986. Evangelical.

Proverbs

Alden, Robert L. Proverbs: A Commentary on an Ancient Book of Timeless Advice. Baker, 1983. Evangelical exegesis.

*Clifford, Richard J. Proverbs. OTL. Westminster John Knox, 1999. Concise, original discussion of the meanings of each of the proverbs and their place in their original context, as well as attention to the overall structure of the book.

*Garrett, Duane A. Proverbs Ecclesiastes Song of Songs. NAC. Nashville: Broadman, 1993. Evangelical discussion of these three Solomonic books with useful exegesis and theological application. order this book

Ecclesiastes

Eaton, Michael A. Ecclesiastes. An Introduction and Commentary. TOTC. IVP, 1983. Evangelical appreciation of a positive interpretation to the book as an apologetic in a world of faithlessness.

Fox, Michael V. A Time to Tear Down and a Time to Build Up: A Rereading of Ecclesiastes. Eerdmans, 1999. A highly regarded authority on biblical wisdom literature considers Ecclesiastes as a tract on the absurdity of life.

Gordis, R. Koholeth: The Man and His World. Schocken, 1951. A philological commentary on the Hebrew text that remains useful.

*Longman, Tremper, III. Ecclesiastes. NICOT. Eerdmans, 1997. With great linguistic and literary skill, this Evangelical study demonstrates the argument of Ecclesiastes as a warning against negative, skeptical conclusions about God and human existence.

Murphy, Roland E. Ecclesiastes. WBC. Dallas, 1992. Lengthy introduction with standard exegesis, the author adds a monologue on the traditional wisdom that the book challenged.

*Seow, C.-L. Ecclesiastes. AB. Doubleday, 1997. Important summary of recent research with a careful exegesis of what is regarded as a Persian period book.

Whybray, R.N. Ecclesiastes. NCB. Eerdmans, 1989. Good survey of secondary literature with exegesis that argues a middle of the road position for the Hellenistic author.

Song of Songs

Carr, G. Lloyd. The Song of Solomon. An Introduction and Commentary. TOTC. IVP, 1984. Evangelical discussion of this book as love poetry.

Keel, Othmar. Song of Songs. Translated by F. J. Geiser. ConC. Fortress, 1994. An authority on Israelite iconography interprets the images of the book.

*Murphy, R.E. The Song of Songs. Hermeneia. Fortress, 1990. A thorough commentary with theological as well as exegetical insight.

Pope, M.H. Song of Songs. AB. Doubleday, 1977. A large commentary with frequent digressions into comparative customs.

Isaiah

Brueggemann, Walter. Isaiah 1-39 and Isaiah 40-66. Westminster John Knox, 1998. Canonical approach focused on ascertaining how the text speaks with power to modern realities.

Jeremiah

Carroll, Robert P. Jeremiah. OTL. Philadelphia: Westminster, 1986. Argues that the text is an ideological creation.

Clements, Ronald E. Jeremiah. Interpretation. Atlanta: John Knox Press, 1988. An effort by a critical scholar to deal with the final form of the text.

Craigie, Peter C., Page H. Kelley, and Joel F. Drinkard, Jr. Jeremiah 1-25. WBC. Dallas: Word, 1991. Completed by the other authors after the death of Craigie. Accordingly, it is uneven in amount and quality of detail. Evangelical.

*Block, Daniel I. The Book of Ezekiel. 2 volumes. NICOT. Eerdmans, 1997, 1998. Evangelical. The most comprehensive study of the book available, it incorporates a wealth of linguistic and ancient Near Eastern comparative knowledge.

Montgomery, J.A. Daniel. ICC. Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1927. Though now dated in many ways, this critical commentary is still a benchmark in terms of textual data and philology.

Porteous, N. Daniel. OTL. Second edition. Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1979. An important critical commentary of a generation ago. The second edition has a Supplement to update original 1962 commentary.